Just one mistake
by MageNellofGalla
Summary: When Kel goes down into the Lower city, she finds herself in a very bad situation. She's lost in a cold place  and all Raoul knows is that she's visiting a friend. Hopes for a hero has severely plummeted. Unless...  Eventual Kel/Neal
1. Gold to Copper

Set right in between Kel's talk with the Monarchs about Joren's case and Kel's kiss with Cleon. Like _right_ in the middle so that Kel is free to think of other men and she has lots of money ^_^

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><p>Kel reached up to twirl her fingers in her mouse-brown hair only to find that it was absent. She sighed.<p>

_You're the one who agreed on letting Neal cut your hair,_ she scolded herself mentally. _You're not allowed to miss it!_

But she did and she couldn't do anything to bring her brown locks back.

Finishing off the last problem given to her by her Knight Master, Sir Raoul, she put the quill down with a sigh of relief. Math happens to get boring as time goes on and she was getting restless. Looking around, she spotted her old cloak and her purse of gold nobles she got from Joren's fine. Lalasa would not accept the last twenty-five gold nobles and Kel had no use for them. If she turned them into copper nobles, then she might be able to distribute all her unneeded money amongst the houses in the lower city. Yes; that is what she was going to do.

Kel dressed as a commoner in a blouse which was fastened with a belt and some short trousers. She slipped ten silver nobles in her shoes in case she got hungry and put a dagger on her belt in case she got into trouble. She thought about bringing a leather thong and remembered: her hair wasn't long enough to tie up. She sighed as she threw on her cloak and stuffed the bag of gold nobles in her pocket.

_Maybe Neal has enough change_, she thought as Jump barked at her. She pet the dog as a good bye and walked out of the door. Crown flew out of the room just in time for Kel to close the door without squishing her and began to chirp angrily. Jump also continued to bark even with the door closed. "What's wrong, Crown?" she asked. Kel had learned to listen to animals when they wanted to be heard, especially the ones that had been in the presence of Daine the Wildmage. But she couldn't understand her sparrow right now and she didn't know what she should do. Daine was not present at the moment and there was no one else who could understand birds.

Crown continued to cherp angrily as Kel stroked her head and walked down the hallway. She gave one loud trill and bit the finger that kel was stroking her with as if to say "I don't want to be pet!" Kel's finger instantly snapped back. "Ow," she said, licking the blood. "What was that fow?" she mumbled with her finger in her mouth. Crown flew off her shoulder and went back to her door. The sparrow's stare snapped from door to Kel as if she wanted Kel to stay inside that day.

"If you want to stay, stay," she said. "Surely you'll find a way inside. You're brilliant."

Crown flew swiftly to Kel and held onto her hair with her beak. She tried flying back to the room, pulling Kel's hair with her. "Crown!" she exclaimed. "What do you want me to do? Open the door?"

The bird let go and nodded. Kel obeyed and unlocked the door. "There. Now stop injuring me."

She cherped and proceeded to try and pull Kel inside the room. "What do you expect me to do all day? Laze around? I can't do that, Crown. You know me."

The sparrow finally gave up on her mission to keep Kel inside and resolved to perch on her shoulder once more.

"Gosh," Kel muttered, locking up the door again. She saw that Jump looked at her anxiously, wagging her crooked tail. _What was wrong?_ She wondered. _It's probably a storm coming._

True, there were clouds outside but they weren't that dark enough to produce a storm. Maybe a few drops but not a storm. It bothered her that her animals were acting this way as there was no threat coming. She walked down the hallways reluctantly, thinking.

Finally, she came to the familiar door that led to her friend's chambers. Kel rapped on the door and a response came immediately.

"Oh, Kel. It's you," he said, disappointed. "I was expecting my Lady Knight to come by. She says that she's got something special for me."

"Oh," she said with a tinge of envy. To think that the Lioness might've been Kel's squire… But that was just it- a thought. Kel shoved it away and focused on the purpose of her visit. "I'm going to go down to the Lower City to distribute my unneeded money to the poor," she said with a smile. "Would you like to accompany me?"

Neal's eyes went wide. "Distribute unneeded money to the poor?" he asked to confirm her words. She nodded. He opened her mouth to speak and closed it again. "I forgot. You're _Kel._ The Kel that would go to the ends of the world if it meant the safety of commoners," he said. "No. I would like to stay here and wait for the Lioness."

Kel nodded in recognition. "Of course," she said. "But I don't happen to have enough change for the whole lower city…"

"And you thought that I might," he finished her sentence. Kel smiled sheepishly. "Just wait," he said, disappearing into his rooms. "How much do you need?" His voice was a bit distant.

_Twenty-five times one hundred copper nobles…_ Kel calculated in her mind. "Two thousand and five hundred copper nobles," she replied. No one else was in the hallway so she found it safe to yell out the large sum of money. Neal whistled in awe but Kel could definitely hear the jingle of a lot of coins.

"I only have two thousand copper nobles" he said, emerging from his room. "Here." He handed Kel two purses filled with money.

"And this is for you," Kel said, popping out twenty of her twenty-five gold nobles. "I'll look for the last five hundred somewhere else."

"On second thought, I'll go to the library for the day. Whatever my Lady Knight wants to give me can wait," he said, accepting the coins. "I'd like to feed my brain some knowledge before I'm dragged away to heal a village or slay immortals."

Kel chuckled. "I'm afraid that I can't relate," she said, smiling.

"Knights barely can," he sighed.

"Well, enjoy your day at the library," She said. "And thank you, by the way."

"No, thank you," Neal drawled. "Now, I don't need to carry all those heavy coins."

Kel smiled and turned to leave. She had walked quite a distance when she heard footsteps run to catch up with her. "Take care of yourself, Kel," Neal said, gravely serious. "The lower city is a dangerous place."

By now, he was walking alongside her. "Of course," Kel snorted. "I can handle myself. And when Raoul asks where I am, tell him that I'm visiting a friend."

"Of course you can," Neal said. "Just be careful." He murmured a good-bye, picked up his pace and turned in the direction of the library.

Kel began to feel wary of her endeavor. Maybe today wasn't the best day to do this. She shoved the thought away. Was there a difference between this day and any other?

She walked down into the lower city and looked around. Children were chasing each other under the afternoon sun gleefully, unaware of the world's horrors. Blacksmiths were hammering away at hot metal, determined to shape them into one thing or another. A vendor dozed on a hammock inside their shop as he waited for customers. A sign hung on the wall that read:

**Wake me up if you require assistance.**

Kel laughed inwardly. Weren't they afraid of being robbed? A little more walking led her to a series of houses that were not in bad condition. They actually just needed new paint and they would've looked much nicer. This is where Kel began to slide three copper nobles under each door. Whenever someone passed by, she stopped and pretended to stretch or fan herself because of the heat. It wouldn't do good for someone to find her with all this money.

As she progressed, she noticed that the houses started looking worse and worse. By then, she decided on five copper nobles for each household. Near the end of the houses, she decided upon six because the houses looked like they with in such bad shape that they could fall in at any moment.

Putting the empty purse in the pocket of her cloak, she surveyed her surroundings. It was well near sunset and surely, sir Raoul was looking for her. She noticed her stomach growl.

"I'll need to find some food," she said to herself. "I'll buy some fruit from that sleeping vendor." She walked back up the path with her hood down. A voice from behind her made her jump.

"Excuse me miss," it said. "But you don't happen to have a map, do you?"

She spun, ready to attack and noticed that it was just a teenage boy. "No, why?"

"I seem to be lost in your eyes," he said with a smile.

Kel laughed. "That's not the first time I've heard that."

"Nor do I expect it to be, my lady," he said, noticing cheesy lines wouldn't work on the mysterious girl. "I'm sure that you've had many swoons before me."

Kel blushed at the comment. "Well, you're wrong," she said modestly. "Only a blind man would be interested in the girl who was built on the lines of a cow"

"Well then I seem to have lost my ability to see because you are very beautiful in my eyes," he said.

Kel laughed. She was about to point out that she couldn't be beautiful in his eyes if he'd lost his ability to see when he spoke again. "What's your name?"

"Kelly or Kel if you please." Her eyes flicked to the brown-eyed boy. "Yours?"

"Damean." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her with suspicion. "You must be a thief."

"Why? Because I've stolen your heart?" Kel guessed.

"No, but that's a good one," he said with a smile. "I mean how else would you have gotten all that money for those people?"

"Oh," she said. "You saw that?"

He nodded. "You did a wonderful thing, even if it was done by thievery."

"I do what I can to help other people," she said as if what she did was nothing at all. Actually, it wasn't much considering that she didn't actually need the money. But she couldn't tell him that. If Damean was what she thought he was, then telling him that she was a noble would make their relationship... complicated. He might use her for money or even rob her on the spot. Not to mention if he was a conservative, he would surely treat her differently. It was just as good that she didn't plan on telling him much about herself for they probably wouldn't meet in the future.

"I also noticed that you gave away _all_ your loot," he said.

She nodded. It was okay. She still had ten silver nobles in her shoes and the five gold nobles left over.

"So let me buy you dinner," he suggested.

Kel started to walk back towards the palace. "You can't possibly be serious," she said, shaking her head.

"Well I am and I won't take 'no' of an answer," he said, catching up with her. He turned around to start walking backwards. "Just one meal," he insisted.

She studied the young man. He was dressed as she was in a shirt and trousers. He had only a dagger to defend himself but Kel guessed that a dagger was all he could afford. His arms showed evidence of hard labour- probably on a farm or in a blacksmith. His light, brown hair was cut short, covered his forehead and seemed to have a habit of sticking up in all directions. He had pink lips, pale blue eyes and a pert nose. Freckles were dusted across his face from one rosy cheek to the other. His left eyebrow was cut in half- probably from a recent fight. Even though he had muscles of his own, Kel knew that she could probably immobilize the youth in a few minutes if she wanted to.

_Heck, Raoul won't miss me. And besides, I hardly ever go down here,_ Kel thought. But then, she realized that it would do no good to lead the boy on.

"No," she said firmly. A frown marred his features.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Kel nodded. "So you _do_ want to go eat dinner with me?" Kel shook her head vigorously. "So you're not sure."

Kel sighed in exasperation. "Stop putting words in my mouth."

He put on a half smile. "Then start talking to me."

"No, I do not agree to eat dinner with you and _yes,_ I'm sure."

"Then how about a conversation over tea?" he suggested.

She shook her head. "No."

"A walk by the lake?"

Again, she shook her head. "Nope."

"A discussion on a bench."

She looked at him. "Really," she said in an 'is-that-the-best-you've-got' tone. "I mean: _Really?_"

He shrugged.

_What a poor man,_ she thought. Kel truly pondered the possibility of accepting. And in the end, she did. "A walk by the lake and that's it." Her voice was serious.

"Of course, milady." He took her hand. "Let's go."

She let herself be pulled through dark alleys and in between laughing children. They stopped at a big blue lake that resembled the one in her head that she went to so that she could calm down. The lake was not distorted in the slightest, not even one wave. It resembled glass so much that Kel felt that she could step on it and she wouldn't fall in.

"This is _la lac calme_," he announced. She blinked at him. _What did you say?_ she thought. "It's Tusaine for The Calm Lake."

Kel nodded, understanding why it was named so. "Why didn't they just name it the calm lake?" she asked.

"Because the Calm Lake in common sounds so corny," he said as if she should know.

Kel laughed. "Of course."

"Wait here," he instructed. "There should be a few fishing rods in the cabin."

She nodded and watched him disappear into a small house-like structure by the lake. Kel took off her boots and rolled up her trousers. Gingerly, she dipped her sore feet into the water and gasped at the temperature. _You'd think that after a day of sun that the lake would be warm,_ she thought.

All of a sudden, something sharp stung in her arm and she gasped in shock at the sudden pain. She looked at her forearm to see something sharp and deadly-looking buried in her arm. There was a much bigger part sticking out and Kel guessed that it was some sort of compartment to hold poison of some sort. She took it out of her skin and the hole started bleeding sluggishly. Her mind raced with thoughts of regret and she scolded herself for her stupidity. Even after all those signs, she didn't listen and now, she's in a very bad position. She started to feel light-headed and dizzy and swayed.

"Help!" she called, swaying on the bank of the lake. "Help!"

No one came. Kel felt helpless and she hated the feeling. She was supposed to be a great warrior and one mistake could take much more than just her dream away. "Damean!" she called in vain. Damean was standing behind her already, whispering in her ear.

"Shh. It'll be quick, I swear," he said softly into her ear.

She tried making herself awake, very alarmed by his words. What was he planning on doing?

But he tied up her hands behind her back and hefted her onto his shoulder, wondering how a village girl could get so _heavy_.

She felt very sleepy and her eyes began to droop as Damean carried her to the other side of the lake where there was a bigger house. She told her body to kick, thrash, do _something_ to get out of this situation. Her body wouldn't listen. All it seemed to want to do was sleep or rest at the very least. Kel kept her mind awake, trying to remember all the alleys that they passed on their way to the lake. She just couldn't remember them all. He had been running too fast and Kel didn't get a good look around while they ran. She kicked herself mentally. _What had you been thinking!_ she thought. _What were you drinking to make such a reckless decision!_

Now was not the time to scold herself, however. She had to keep herself awake! Kel started to have an idea of what they planned on doing with her and she wanted to vomit at the thought. Her body and her eyes felt so heavy that they could fall onto the ground and well past that. She decided to sleep. If death was to come, then she would rather spend her last moments dreaming happy dreams.

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><p>(AN) As always, I'd love reviews and any critique is welcome as well. This will be Kel/Neal eventually. My decision about the paring doesn't waver in the slightest. This will have 2+ chapters and 5 will most likely be the most. I hope you enjoy the story ^_^

The warmest regards,

Nell


	2. Rescuers

Nealan of Queenscove sat hunched over a book on the Philosophical words of a wise, old man. He felt something pulse through his heart, spreading to the rest of his body. He knew that feeling... He'd gotten it when Kel had gone up to Balor's Needle to save Lalasa. It meant that she was in great danger.

The feeling pulsed through his veins one more time and he knew this was much worse than the Needle. That she would need help to get out of the situation...

His breathing quickened and worry filled his mind. She could've been anywhere in the lower city! He swore at himself. Why hadn't he stopped her? How could he just let her go to her doom like that?

But the sensible part of his mind told him that it wasn't his fault. He didn't _know_ that anything bad would happen that day. He slammed the book shut and stood up hastily, his heart pounding in his chest.

"I've got to save her..." he whispered. The thoughts of his gift from the Lioness disintegrated.

Even the sensible part of him had shied away and went into the corner of his mind, oddly silent. This was Kel he was talking about. He _had_ to do something. It couldn't be anyone else. It had to be him this time. And maybe, just maybe, he'd win her over.

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><p>"What should we do with 'er?"<p>

She couldn't recognize the voice. Nor could she recall the accent. It was a deep, gruff voice that was obviously male.

"Terry!" This one was a lady's voice and it sounded a bit angry. "I don't think this is a good idea. We should just let her go."

_Yes,_ Kel agreed silently. _You should let her go._

_"_But Dina!" the male said. "This could be the difference whether we live in the slums or not!"

She clucked her tongue. "No. I don't want her under _my_ roof. No matter how rich she is. Send her on her way."

_Yes, send her away, _she thought lazily.

The lady squire was only barely awake. Whatever they'd injected into her was still traveling through her system but it was wearing off.

Her head lolled uselessly to the side and she heard someone gasp and another pick up something that sounded heavy. "That was stupid!" the female said. The next thing she knew, her head was throbbing and she'd fallen asleep again.

"Wake up!" A hand was slapping her cheek, becoming more insistent the longer she showed indifference. "_Wake up!"_ he bellowed.

She opened her eyes lazily. Kel closed her hazel eyes tight and opened them wide again as if to stretch them after a long time of neglecting them. Her head pounded from whatever bashed her skull.

She wore the clothes she'd worn the day before –a blouse which was fastened with a belt and some short trousers –which made her feel a bit unclean. The fact that she was sitting on the dirt floor and leaning back on cool stone didn't make her feel any better.

A clay bowl of colorful slop was place in her lap. "Eat," the boy she recognized as Damean said. "A starving captive doesn't do anyone any good."

She followed his instructions, for the first time awed by the fact that he spoke like anything but a commoner. The slop was actually oatmeal laced with sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup, vanilla, dried raisins, and blueberries.

"This is delicious!" she exclaimed when she tasted a spoonful. But her enthusiasm was probably caused by hunger.

Damean smirked and placed himself on her right. "I'll send regards to the chef."

Kel did her best not to wolf it all down in one gulp. When her stomach was full, she looked around. The room was dank and dark without the curtains open. A little window smeared tainted light over the room, roughly revealing that the walls were made up of stones and that this room was made to store livestock.

Damean wore a shirt and breeches stained with dirt –probably from working in the farm. His hair was even browner in contrast with the day before.

"Why are all your farm animals down here?" she asked, smacking her lips.

He leaned closer and put his lips to her ear. "We don't actually have a license to have a farm," Damean said. "So we keep it all down here."

"And where do you get the berries?" she questioned, noticing that her feet were tied together but not her hands.

"They grow wild around here," he continued in a hushed tone. "Free food, really. Don't tell anyone though."

Kel remembered the events of the previous day and turned to look him in the eyes. "Why do you have me tied up? Why'd you drug me?"

He sighed. "I hoped that you wouldn't mention those things." The boy sat dusted his hands. "Well if I told you that I would question you until you give us all your money, well you wouldn't agree to come into the cellar, now would you? And if I didn't tie you up, certainly you'd run away."

_Smart boy,_ Kel thought grudgingly. _Too bad he isn't using his brain to do any good._

"Look," he said, his tone exhausted. "My da told me to nab you. Said that I was charming." By now, he was blushing but it was hardly noticeable in the dim light. "Long story-short, I-"he sighed, "I kidnapped you because my da told me to."

She nodded in understanding. Had she been any other person, she would've bolted at that moment. But she knew that she wouldn't be able to find her way through the maze of alleys.

"So you'll let me go?" she asked cautiously.

He shook his head sharply. "I'm afraid I can't do that. My da'll have my hide if I let you go."

"Well, what if I simply escape?" she tried.

Damean shook his head still. "Sorry. I'll still be punished. But tell you what, until you tell me the location of your loot, I'll keep you well fed."

Kel sighed and counted what she had off her fingers. This was what she had to settle for. Good food, a smelly place to sleep, no freedom, and someone nice to talk to. That was all. "Okay. Even though I don't _have_ any more money."

He smiled somewhat sympathetically, eyes downcast. "My da won't believe you."

Her eyes flicked up to his bright blue ones. "Do _you_ believe me?" Her voice was deadly soft.

Damean nodded nonchalantly, bangs bobbing with him. "But my dad says that I'm too gullible. Maybe I shouldn't trust you. You seem like a nice girl, though."

Kel smiled and settled back down on the stone wall. "Well, I'm telling the truth."

"Don't push it too far," he warned, inching toward her. "I might end up not believing you. But probably not."

She laughed. "Right."

"Yup…" He bit his lip and looked around the room as awkward silence spread between them. It wasn't true silence, really. The cows mooed behind their fences and the pigs grunted as they rolled in the muddy floor.

After a few moments of deciding whether or not to stand up, Damean finally walked over to the right side of the room and opened the curtains. "It's really dark…" came the needless explanation.

He went over to the other side of the room and opened a wooden box she hadn't noticed before with the lack of light. In it was a pile of packed hay. The farm boy took it out by the handful and stuffed it into a cotton sack. "Here," he said, holding it out to her. "You can't sleep on this floor." He rethought his words. "Or the lack there of…"

She laughed and took it from him. "Thank you," she said politely. The squire put it behind her head and settled back to think. How was she supposed to get out of this mess? Certainly, Raoul would be suspicious by now. There ought to be a search party right then, handing out flyers with her face on it.

Kel paled suddenly, remembering that she'd had a companion when she went out. "Where's Crown?" she asked herself in a hushed tone.

"Who's Crown?" he asked. He'd been feeding the pigs the left-overs from the family's breakfast and it looked like a big bucket of sludge.

She looked up to him. "Have you seen a little sparrow? It has a white spot on its head."

Damean stopped for a moment to think. He shook his head slowly, thoughts still running through his head. "I don't believe I have. Why? Is it someone special?" He finished up feeding the animals and wiped his hands on his trousers.

She shook her head and waved him away. "No, thank you." Damean made his way toward her. He'd noticed the thoughtful look on her face.

_What happened to Crown?_ her mind screamed.

Maybe she'd gone and gotten help. Yes. She had to believe that was what Crown did. That was the only possible explanation. But truth be told, it was the only _good_ explanation. And Kel knew it.

He settled in front of her with his legs crossed but Kel didn't really notice. She was looking into empty space, her eyes glazed over.

"You're not planning to escape, are you?" he asked worriedly, eyes showing the same emotion. "Because if you are, d'you mind doing it when my da's on guard? He'll _kill_ me if I let you escape. But if it's on his watch, he's got no one to blame."

She took note of that. Kel didn't want to escape and then leave the boy to his father's wrath.

Damean sighed. "I don't think we'll ever escape from my father."

The lady squire looked at her new companion sharply. "Why so?"

"He practically keeps us under lock and key," he said grudgingly.

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"No. But it feels like it."His tone was brooding. "He forbids us to go out without either him or ma. And if we _do_ sneak out, we get paddled." He shuddered. "I can't wait 'til I'm eighteen. It's like a tradition our family has to 'let your brood run free' when they come of age. I've just a few days to go."

Kel gaped at him. "You're almost eighteen?" He nodded.

"Yeah. I get that a lot." He sighed. "I'm a bit on the short side."

"No, you're not _that_ short," she said consolingly. "You're just short compared to me."

"Speaking of you being tall, what got you like that?"he said in awe. "My da keeps on telling me that I should eat some giraffe neck. Says that it'll make me grow."

Kel laughed. "That's absurd! I learned in –" She hesitated. She wasn't supposed to tell him that she'd studied at the palace. Commoners weren't supposed to have studied in the palace and if she told him now, he wouldn't believe her. She was still dressed in commoner's clothes.

"-school," she said hastily after a long moment of silence. "That giraffe neck doesn't affect your growth in the slightest. You should drink plenty of milk. It helps the bones."

"But I drink milk all the time!" he protested, sitting up straighter. "Look at all the cows we have!" She gestured to the black and white beauties accompanying them in the dark room. One of them mooed loudly at the attention.

She shrugged. "Perhaps it's in the genes. My mother is very tall."

He settled back on the wall. "I guess so."

"Or maybe it's because you're keeping all your cows down in this wet room," she said thoughtfully. She was thinking about helping the family that had kidnapped her.

It was preposterous, she knew, but her heart already had a little spot ready for the pity she had for them. A son without any freedom, a household with too many rules, animals without a proper home. They'd resolved to kidnap a thief! Her heart was tugging at her to help them.

Damean shrugged. "Perhaps. But we don't have the money to get a permit. Much less to make a ranch for them."

And those words were the ones that did her in. When she got out of this mess, she'd help them.

"My father says that I should marry someone who's one…" He held up an index finger. "Rich." He added his middle finger. "And two, tall. He doesn't want my offspring to suffer the curse I have."

Kel laughed. "Rich and tall. Nothing about beauty?"

"That too," he said, adding his ring finger. "Hey…" He put down his hand and stared calculatingly at Kel. "I already found someone who'd fit those standards."

She cocked an eyebrow. "And who would that be?"

"You!" He laughed from delight. Kel's jaw dropped. "In a few days, if you don't tell us where your fortune is, I'll announce our engagement. And since I'll be eighteen then, they can't keep either of us here. You'll be my betrothed."

Kel gaped at him and shook her head sharply. "I can't marry you! I'm too young!"

His face was strewn together in an expression of confusion. "Too young? How old _are_ you?"

"I'm only fifteen!" she informed him, her volume rising ever so slightly.

"That's the perfect age! What're you talking about?" He straightened to look at her.

She'd forgotten that commoners married much younger than nobles. "It doesn't matter. I don't want to get married." Her voice sounded panicked.

"Then we'll pretend that we're betrothed," he said as if it was no big deal.

"Pretending is lying," she protested.

The blue-eyed boy snorted. "With your line of work, I'm sure you do it all the time."

Kel gulped. That was right! He thought that she was a thief!

"Damean…" she said, looking down. "Can I tell you something?"

He blinked in surprise. "Me?"

She gave a chuckle. "Yes, you. There's no one else down here."

Damean blushed, thankful for the darkness concealing it. "Go ahead." He inched closer.

"I'm not a thief," she whispered.

He straightened and looked down at her from his nose. "You're a thief! You're a master at trickery, lying, cheating. How am I to know that you're speaking the truth?"

She shrugged. "It depends on you."

He puckered his lips to the left and the right, wiggling his nose as he did so. "Fine," he finally said. "I believe you."

Kel laughed. "What was _that?"_

The boy cocked a chocolate brown eyebrow. "What was what?"

"That thing you did to your nose!" she said, giggling helplessly.

"What? This?" He wiggled his nose again. Kel nodded and Damean laughed. "I do that when I'm deciding something." He did it again.

She chortled. "You should decide things more."

He smiled charmingly and Kel's laughter faded as she peered into his eyes. His father was right. Damean _was_ rather charming with shining blue eyes and messy brown hair, not to mention the dust of freckles across his cheeks and the scar on his brow.

"So how are we supposed to fake this engagement thing?" he asked abruptly.

She blinked. "Engagement thing?"

He nodded. "Yes. Engagement thing. We pretend to be engaged so that we can both run free?"

Kel looked down and blushed. "Yes. Of course."

"So?" he asked expectantly. "I don't exactly know how to do… this kind of thing."

She sighed inwardly. He was so innocent! Kel shrugged. "I'm afraid that I'ven't a clue what we're supposed to do."

He gulped. "So we're winging it then?" Kel shrugged.

He gasped at the sudden arrival of his idea, blue eyes lighting up. "Okay. Well, I think I have an idea." Kel raised an eyebrow questioningly. "A friend of mine was faking engagement to avoid match-making aunts," he explained hastily.

She laughed, remembering Raoul and Buri. "I have a friend who did a similar thing. But not this drastic."

"Of course. That's wonderful. May I tell you about my plan now?" His tone was insisting. She blushed again and nodded. "Okay… so it's rather hard to fool my dad but if we lie well enough, I'm positive that he'll buy it. Now, how do we do that?" It was a rhetorical question. "We have to act like a real couple. Okay?"

Kel nodded again, slowly. "But I don't know how to _be_ in a relationship," she said timidly, eyes properly downcast.

His jaw dropped. "You've never been in a relationship before?" She bit her lip and shook her head. "With that face? You must be pulling my leg!"

Her face became even redder. "No, _you're_ pulling _my _leg," she said, amusement in her voice. "I've a hideous face."

Damean chuckled. He decided that she was cute when she was being humble. "That's ridiculous, Kel. You're beautiful."

She fanned herself with her hand. "It's getting really hot in here," she said, looking to the left, which was purposefully the opposite direction of Damean.

He laughed. "Fine. I'll stop."

"Good," she said haughtily, her cheeks still hot from Damean's gushing.

"Good." He smiled widely, clearly enjoying her discomfort. "Come here," he said suddenly.

Kel was taken aback. "Why?"

"I want to show you what to do before my da comes down to check on us. By the light coming from the window, he'll tell me to go barter with the baker in an hour." He beckoned her with a hand. "Come here."

She eyed him suspiciously but obeyed all the same.

Kel nearly jumped when he put an arm around her. "Is this truly necessary?"

He laughed. "Yes."

She stiffened. "If you say so."

"When my dad comes in, we have to spring apart as if we're startled. Okay?" He nudged her.

Kel nodded. "Okay. If it'll get me out of here."

"It will." He sighed. "Don't cringe like that. You make me feel like a criminal."

She laughed and loosened. "Sorry."

He breathed in deeply. "You smell good."

The squire turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow. "I smell good?"

Damean sniffed her mouse-brown locks. "Yeah. Like vanilla."

She snorted. "You're joking. We're sitting in an underground farm and I _smell_ good?"

He laughed. "D'you want to smell _bad?"_

"No!" Amusement resounded in her voice. "Who in Mithros' name wants to smell bad?"

"Exactly! So stop reasoning against it and just accept." A smile played on his lips.

The hazel-eyed girl blew air out of her nose haughtily. "Fine. But this had better work."

The boy smirked. "It will. Cross my heart and hope to die."

* * *

><p>The brunet squire had barely slept the night before and the slumber he'd gotten was horror-ridden with the fear that Kel was being tortured in a dark cellar. His emerald eyes had started to get tired at moonrise but he didn't dare close them for nightmares awaited him in his sleep.<p>

He had spent his night at the library, searching and searching for a way to, in the very least, _find_ Kel. Rescuing her would be a different question but he had thought that he'd get to that later. _Perhaps magic isn't the way to go,_ he had thought groggily in the middle of a book he'd forgotten the name of.

Neal's knight master had arrived in the dead of the night, carrying a book of handy spells for almost every occasion. But when Alanna had found him, he was fast asleep in the library. All that had been missing was the drool dribbling from his open mouth.

She had made a page carry the thick book in her hands and she'd taken Neal to carry herself. "Of all the people, Neal, the healer, has neglected one of the most important components of health," she'd scolded incoherently as she'd lifted him up from his chair.

"What has he been eating?" Alanna had added noticing the weight of her tall squire. "Kel's right. He doesn't eat his vegetables."

A mere hour before Kel regained consciousness, Neal awoke and these memories came back along with the horrible dreams as the sole ray of sunshine.

When he looked around and saw where he was, he realized that Alanna really had come back and had given him a spell book. But this wasn't the time to open gifts. He had to save Kel, even if it meant walking all around the lower city waving flyers in people's faces.

He swung himself over the bed, head spinning with the sudden movement and sleep deprivation.

"About time," Alanna said, a roll stuffed with meat in one hand. "It's three hours past dawn."

Her squire stood bolt upright. "_Three full hours?"_ He blinked and opened his eyes wide, looking around. This was his room, alright. Endless books lined up on bookshelves, a study table equipped with a quill, parchment, and an inkwell. A rather _un _enthusiastic armory, and even his messy yet irresistibly comfortable bed.

The Lioness nodded. "It's not that much of a setback. You usually sleep until two hours past dawn without me to wake you."

Neal looked at the floor, eyes calculating. What might've happened to her in those hours that he'd slept?

"Bathe. Change," she ordered as she took a bit out of the roll. "You look horrible. What were you thinking staying up so late? You knew I would take a little long to get your gift. You didn't need to wait for me."

He shook his head. "No. it's not that."

"Then what is it?" she demanded, cocking an eyebrow.

"I was researching," he said, putting on a fake smile. _Researching… she'll buy that. I'm always researching, _he thought in silent self praise.

Alanna rolled her eyes. "Always worrying about academics. You really must pick up a sword, Squire." She looked at him from head to toe. "But first, you should bathe. I can't believe you slept in your clothes."

Neal looked down to see that he was wearing what he had been wearing the day before. "Right. I'll go bathe. Then I need to go down to the Lower City."

She raised both eyebrows in a picture of shock. "_Lower City? _You can't be serious. What are you going to do there?"

He shrugged. "I'll visit friends."

The knight looked at him from the corner of her eyes, remembering the trips she went on to visit a certain rogue. "Of course," she said coyly. "Friends."

"Yes, friends," he said insistently. "Now I'd like to bathe in private, if I may have such an honourable luxury."

"Oh, fine. Go ahead. And be careful." With that, she walked out of the room through the connecting doors.

* * *

><p>Neal of Queenscove walked around the city, shirt sticking to his back from sweat. He wiped his forehead with his cloak and stretched his long legs. "It's so <em>hot!"<em> His complaint fell on deaf ears.

The peasants were walking past him as if he were no one. But that was the purpose of his disguise –a simple brown shirt and breeches with a cloak. He'd been waving a portrait of Kel around, praying to all the Gods that _someone_ had seen her the previous day.

"Yeah, I saw 'er," a man with black hair and brown eyes had said to him once. "Givin' out _copper nobles_ li' i' wan't nobody's bui'ness!"

Neal had thanked him and sent him on his way. Almost everybody's answers were like his. She was distributing money to every house very secret-like. And how could anyone miss her? She towered over almost everybody.

He had begun to lose hope until a young boy with hazel-green eyes and dirty blond hair told him that she was pulled away by another boy he knew to be named Dale. "Or something' startin' wiv a 'D', sir," the boy had said. "You'll give me a tip, right?"

At first, Neal cocked an eyebrow and then he tossed him a copper noble. The boy looked at him with wide eyes. "Thank you, sir. Tell me if you need any more help, sir." And the boy was off.

The green-eyed healer sighed and sat on a bench in front of a shop. "Something with a 'D'." He rubbed his face with his hand. "I need some food."

He stood and turned to peer into the shop. At the window was a sign that read:

**Wake me up if you require assistance.**

Neal shook his head at the vendor's folly but went inside anyways. Tables and chairs dotted the store with menus on a desk at the front of the shop. Behind the desk was a man dozing on a hammock. Towards the back of the room was a door that most-likely led to a kitchen.

A bell chimed as he opened the door. "Hello?" he called in his usual drawl. "D'you've any food?"

The person manning the shop continued to snore.

"Hello?" he yelled. He rolled his eyes, walked over to the man behind the desk and shook him awake. The man sat up abruptly and ended up falling off of his hammock.

"Yessir?" he said, a bit dazed from hitting the floor with his face.

"D'you've any food?" he repeated.

"Of course, sir. I'm the waiter. Nice to meet you." He stood and held out his hand. "I'm Demitri. A pleasure to serve you. My lovely mother, Dina, is the cook."

Neal shook Demitri's hand reluctantly. "Lovely. I'm Neal." He looked like a fine young boy with blue-green eyes and dark hair grown long and tangled from neglect. He wore a shirt and breeches without any shoes. He looked to be no older than twelve.

The boy gestured toward a table with a hand that already held a quill and a piece of paper. "Please. Sit."

The squire sat at the table and sighed in relief. "I've been walking all day," he explained although he knew that Demitri wouldn't be concerned with his problems. "I've been looking for –er –a friend of mine." He reached into his cloak and pulled out the portrait. "Have you seen her?"

The boy looked at him, eyes portraying the emotion of shock. He quickly masked this with a smile. "I'm afraid that I haven't seen her, sir. May I ask who she is?"

"Just a good friend of mine." It wouldn't be productive to tell this boy anything about Kel and besides, Neal wasn't in the mood for idle conversation.

"Of course, sir," Demitri said politely. "I'll go and tell my ma your order, sir." Neal opened his mouth to speak as Demitri rushed silently into the kitchen.

This was when Neal got suspicious. He hadn't even taken his order yet.

* * *

><p>As Neal sat in the front of the restaurant, waiting for his waiter to get his actual order, Terry and Demitri were speaking in an urgent manner.<p>

"Really?" Terry asked his son, eyes wide.

Demitri nodded vigorously. "He said his name was Neal. He had a portrait of her and everything. Right down to the green-hazel eyes and cropped brown hair."

The man squinted at empty space. "A lover, perhaps?"

"Probably." The young boy shrugged and eyes his father. He had black hair and blue eyes.

"We ought to get 'im out," Terry finally said. "Whatever way ye do it. It don't matter. Just get 'im out. Or we'll all be in trouble." He looked at his son sharply. "What did he order?"

Demitri gulped. "I forgot to ask him," he said in a small voice."

Terry cuffed him in the ear. "Look what ye did now! He'll be suspicious! Go and get his order. And come back to tell me once you do."

His son nodded and dashed back into the restaurant, cheeks burning.

* * *

><p>He tapped his toe on the stone floor impatiently, his stomach rumbling with hunger. More than five minutes had passed when the boy came back, face red from embarrassment.<p>

"My apologies, sir," he said, sheepish smile lighting up his features. "I'm afraid that I forgot to take your order. He scurried over to the front of the shop and took a menu from the desk. He went back hurriedly and gave it to Neal. "Here you go, sir. Take your time."

He sighed. "Just give me what your specialty is. The price is no object."

Demitri's eyes widened. "Truly, sir? You'll eat our specialty? My ma's been itching to try it out but no one seems to like salmon." He grinned. "Or maybe it's the exorbitant price, sir."

Neal smiled politely. "Yes. Well your mother will have that chance right now."

The young boy scribbled his order down and looked up. "And your drinks, sir?"

"Lemonade, thank you." He crossed his legs.

Demitri nodded. "No, sir. Thank_ you_." He smiled brightly before disappearing off into the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Demitri ran back into the kitchen as fast as he could. "He just ordered the Cedar planked salmon," he said, eyes wide and breathing labored. "It'll take more than thirty minutes to make. And then he'll have to eat it."<p>

"Then give 'im 'is food as fast as ye can!" he ordered. "And send him on his way."

Demitri nodded and scurried out of the room.

* * *

><p>Terry opened the basement door with a big thud to see his captive and his son spring apart. But it wasn't so fast that he didn't see Damean's arm around her. His eyes darted from one flushed face to the other until he decided that it wasn't that important at the time. He walked into the room with a thunderous air.<p>

"You, girl," he snapped.

"Her name's Kel," Damean said, looking down.

Terry rolled his eyes. "Kel."

The squire stiffened. "Yes?"

"There's a man upstairs looking for you," he said glaring at her. "Is he from the Lord Provost?"

Kel gulped. "I'ven't a clue. You didn't give a name."

The large man sighed. "Neal. He said his name was Neal."

She inhaled sharply and sat at attention, hazel eyes shining with recklessly unmasked hope. Under her breath, she said, "Neal."

"So?" Terry demanded.

Kel shook herself from her daydream of Neal coming to her rescue. Her mind raced with possibilities. Maybe, if he had the knowledge that Kel knew him, then maybe he would let her go. Maybe he'd trap Neal as well. Kel took the safer route.

"No. I don't know him," she said, her face void of all emotion.

Terry spat on the ground, causing a few pigs to squeal. "Very well. Lunch is in an hour. Damean go barter for food at the bakery."

His son stood up immediately. "Yessir." He looked back at Kel. "Take care."

The two left Kel alone. But it was okay. Neal had filled her heart with hope.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN) Hello! It's finally finished. I'm so sorry that it took so long! I hope you don't mind. :( And besides, this one's pretty long. Surely, that makes up for the big gap between my updates. If you want something to read in between updates, then go to my profile. I've got tons of stories just itching to be reviewed. Also, don't worry. It'll stay K/N no matter what. ^_^**

**Please Review! I swear that I'll update sooner if I do (At least I'll get the next chap. Finished in the next month.) I also want you guys to read this: The Ultimate How To Guide by Magna Parva. Here is the URL**.net/s/4225140/1/

**It's about giving constructive Criticism, accepting it, Mary-Sues, and writing summaries. Very helpful and funny. Please read.**

And you should also read 'The Beauty of Hindsight' by RoyalLady9099:

.net/s/7962602/1/

**It's about Kel getting kicked out of page training and she becomes a Shang Warrior. But wait! There's more! The gang is reading Kel's four books given to them by none other than the goddess. It's very interesting and it has the whole plot planned out and everything! The grammar needs work but it shouldn't stop you from enjoying that much. :D**

**Warmest Regards,**

**Nell**


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